Mermaid in Manhattan is an unexpectedly warm, shimmering blend of fantasy, friendship, and modern romance that feels like slipping into a cozy sweater—if that sweater also occasionally crackled with magic and emotional angst. It delivers a contemporary fairy tale without the weight of high fantasy, instead offering soft world-building, approachable magic, and dialogue that sparkles on nearly every page.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in its characters and their connections. The protagonist is surrounded by friendships that feel lived-in and essential; they’re not just set dressing, but beating hearts that carry the emotional core of the story. Whether it’s heartfelt comfort or laugh-out-loud banter, the relationships make Manhattan feel both enchanted and deeply human.

The author has an undeniable talent for banter—quick, clever, and often laugh-inducing. Every interaction feels intentional and character-driven, from comedic exchanges to vulnerable confessions. The tone balances lighthearted charm with moments of genuine angst, giving the story emotional depth without dragging it into melodrama.

Romance readers will appreciate the spice level: a solid 4/5. The scenes are explicit enough to satisfy while still maintaining a tasteful, fade-around-the-edges style. It’s sensual but not graphic, matching the book’s overall cozy fantasy vibe.

With its blend of urban whimsy, heartfelt friendships, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after, Mermaid in Manhattan reads like a warm tide washing over you—comforting, sparkly, and just angsty enough to matter. A delightful escape for anyone who wants a touch of magic without venturing into full high-fantasy territory.

I absolutely adored Jessica Gadziala's My Big Fat Vampire Wedding recently, so I jumped at the chance to read the ARC of Mermaid in Manhattan! Not only does it have arranged marriage which one of my top tier tropes, it's an arranged marriage between a mermaid princess and a human politician. It sounds like a funny match but it really drives the plot and the character development. The FMC, Iris, is quite hot and cold with Finn, but it wasn't annoying like it can be sometimes in books, as it did make sense for her. As the story progresses, they get better at talking things through.

Monty the talking pelican is very funny, I think it must be the law that a mermaid princess has a hilarious talking sidekick. The other side characters were amusing as well, which got me really invested.

I devoured this in one go, and really enjoyed it! There's something about the author's writing that I just find so easy and fun to read.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Mermaid in Manhattan surprised me in the best way mostly because I saw so much of myself in Iris. Her mix of softness and stubbornness, that feeling of wanting to choose your own life while everyone else seems to have an opinion about who you should be… it hit home. Iris trying to navigate a world that wasn’t built for her, literally and emotionally, felt oddly relatable.

Watching her clash with Finn was hilarious, but it was also touching because she never let go of who she was, even when it would’ve been easier to just go along with things. I loved that about her. Her defiance, her awkwardness, her heart all of it felt so human even though she’s a mermaid.

The story itself is fun, chaotic, and totally over-the-top at times, but beneath the humour and magic, Iris’s struggle to find a place where she truly belongs resonated with me. Her growth felt like watching a friend finally trust herself. And seeing Finn slowly understand and appreciate her made the romance feel earned and genuinely sweet.

Overall, it’s a light, escapist read with a heroine I could genuinely identify with someone a little unsure, a little rebellious, a little overwhelmed, but ultimately stronger than she realizes. It made the whole book feel personal in a way I didn’t expect.

Mermaid in Manhattan is a funny, sweet, spicy romantasy about the merging of two worlds the human and the mer world. Finn's campaign manager wants Finn to have a mermaid wife to solidify that base. Iris's mother Tatiana the Queen of the Ocean sees the benefit the union will have for those in the ocean. Not wanting to leave her home but understanding her duty Iris enters the human world with her emotional support pelican Monty. Iris plan is to make Finn call off the engagement using the funniest weapons possible including a teeth and bug collection. Finn has been working towards his political goals so long he's forgotten how to speak in anything but talking points. Still Iris makes him want to try. This book is unexpected in the best way and pure joy. Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Cozy, spicy, fun and flirty - a very fun romp with a sheltered mermaid and amsupe4 focused mayoral candidate - confounded with a starstruck talking pelican, an obsessed campaign manager, a love adverse witch, and one very romantic demon. Snarky and often laugh out loud funny while also romantic and a bit steamy, a bit of everything all woven together and it totally works!

Imagine you’re living your best shimmering under the sea life, hair flowing like kelp in a Beyonce wind machine, and suddenly your mom - who also happens to be THE QUEEN OF THE WHOLE OCEAN - says “surprise sweetie! You’re marrying a human”

A HUMAN. With legs. The disrespect🤣

This book has every deliciously unhinged mermaid obsessed inner child hoards like treasure.

✅ Arranged marriage? Yep.
✅ Only one bed? You bet your sweet fin!
✅ Romantasy shenanigans? Serves it fresh.
✅ Spice? Ma’am, there were moments my Kindle needed a cold compress 🥵

The chaotic joy of watching Iris aggressively try to hate her way out of the relationship, while Finn simply refuses to be anything but a patient cinnamon roll is chef’s kiss perfect. The man’s basically running for mayor while simultaneously falling helplessly in love with a mermaid who keeps threatening to return to the ocean forever. Iconic behaviour from both parties.

And as a lifelong mermaid enthusiast (Splash hive rise!) this book felt like someone bottled every childhood wish about abandoning land life and returning to the waves, then added: “what if we threw in a hot political himbo with a heart of gold?”

I inhaled it in one sitting like a siren who forgot how to pace herself.

If your heart beats faster at the smell of sea salt, chaotic banter, and a man who will absolutely still love you after you splash him like an angry dolphin, this book is your next hyperfixation ♥️

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC. I am obsessulated ♥️🌊

4.5 🌟

Iris is ordered to marry Finn, the human mayor of New York even though she's a mermaid. Finn wants the romance to be more than a business and tries his best to convince her....

Love this arranged marriage story. Finn is great... Love the spice in it too. A fun romantasy

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book reminded me a bit of a vertical movie you get on YouTube and The Little Mermaid. 😆 It was a fun to read book,plenty of will they, won't they. A pelican with big ambitions, a witch who secretly loves love. I mean, it was great, I love a bit of cheese in my life, and this was it. I'm actually looking forward to the next book in the series. 🤭

This was just a perfect book to get me out of a reading slump if you live mermaids and a fairytale this book is perfect for you

Believe it or not, I was actively searching for a mermaid romance novel a while back. Unsurprisingly, it does not seem to be a very sought after sub-genre, so I didn't have much luck. But you can imagine my shock when I saw THIS was available to request.
I even ended my ARC break for this specifically.

This is sort of like a grown-up reimagining of "The Little Mermaid", but with an arranged marriage trope.
I am never hugely excited by the prospect of arranged marriages in books, because it's just not my thing in general. But, I do think it was done decently here and I was able to enjoy it.
It helped a lot that Finn was so kind and gentle with Iris, and his efforts to make her feel more comfortable being outside of her usual environment were heartwarming.

I can't truly complain about this, because I knew about it before going into the book. But there is somewhat of a political plot going on, which is something that just isn't for me.
It really isn't "bad", it just tends to be somewhat that looses my attention rather quickly.
However, paranormal politics... that I do find a bit more intriguing, so I wasn't totally bored.

One thing I really loved about this was the array of creatures in it.
Diversity...but make it paranormal. Mermaids, witches, vampires, dryads, fae, and so on.
This alone was such an exciting element for me, and I'm so glad it was there.

I don't feel like there is anything "bad" about it.
I'll say that I think there was a lot of potential for a more unique plot though. Given that there are few books on the market with mermaid love interests, I just really think there was a ton of room to do new stuff and get super creative with world-building, customs, personality... everything really.
In the end it just came out a little bit basic. Not bad, but normal. The addition of more unique mermaid-specific elements would have been great.

I believe this author has written other paranormal romances in the past, which I would actually like to check out.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and author Jessica Gadziala, for providing me with the eARC of "Mermaid in Manhattan", in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: April 23, 2026
Reviewed on Goodreads: December 05, 2025

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well written and very relatable and I enjoyed reading their story. The plot was paced well and kept my attention throughout the book. I would definitely recommend to others!

This is a fun filled magical romance.

I generally love the trope of arranged marriage and this didn’t disappoint. It hit even better because there’s an opposites attract theme given our characters are different species!

Great fun, whimsical and romantic.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Jessica Gadziala and it was a delightful splash of charm, wit, and unexpected giggles—equal parts cozy romance and seaside mischief. I devoured it and left no crumbs.

Monty is the MVP of animal characters this year—utterly ridiculous and absolutely lovable; he had me laughing out loud more than once. Iris and Finn are pure slow-burn gold: awkward, adorable, and deliciously unsure of what to do with their feelings, which made every small step toward intimacy feel earned and sweet.

Iris brings out the best in Finn, gently coaxing him into being more himself, while learning to breathe, be patient, and stop leaping to conclusions. Their miscommunications are messy in the most satisfying rom-com way, and every stumble nudges them closer to a genuinely happy ending.

This book balances heart and humor perfectly—romantic tension, political awkwardness, and a mermaid-princess-meets-human-politician premise that somehow works beautifully. The world is playful, the stakes are warm, and the emotional payoff is very rewarding.

If you want a feel-good read with quirky characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and a swoony, unconventional romance, this one’s a splash hit. Dive in and enjoy the ride—Monty alone is worth it.

More mermaid books needed pls

Things I liked: the variety of different supernatural species was great, the modern setting where it’s totally normal to bump into a Minotaur on the subway, and FMCs supporting cast of friends. I liked Iris as a FMC; soft but resilient where needed.

Things I disliked: Henry. He was just a terrible person, and I’m a bit disappointed that he didn’t have any sort of comeuppance. Finn is a bit of a wet blanket at times, and their relationship is a bit meh occasionally as a result. And I wish we’d found out more about the world and all the species co-existing within it.

This was a cute read, funny in the right places (love a fish pun), and just a nice little palette cleanser if you’ve read something heavy.

This is a solid 3.5 for me - I’m rating it 4 because while I don’t think it’s there, a 3 feels overly harsh.

Thank you to Net gallery and Avon books uk, I was looking for some more supernatural romances and I found one.

I enjoyed the plot, it was a comfortable read one with the arranged marriage and forced proximity troupe. The plot was entertaining and predictable, if you’re looking for a read that is a mixture of sweet and spicy and amusing then this one is for you.

There is a side character called Monty and I found him quite entertaining in the beginning, he’s Iris best friend 🫶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Another fantastic book from Jessica.

I loved the entire plot of this story. We got to meet some interesting characters, that each brought something different to the book.

Monty is possibly my favourite animal character out of every book I’ve read this year. Had me in absolute stitches!

Iris and Finn were so cute. You could sense their interactions with one another slowly becoming more intimate, and the pure frustration of not knowing what to do with their feelings was a big part of the story.

Iris really let Finn be more himself when she was around. She also had to learn to be patient and not jump to conclusions so fast.

Quite a bit of miscommunication but all led to a HEA.

If you want to find out how a mermaid princess and a human politician can make a relationship work, then definitely read this book.

4⭐️
A fun and fresh fantasy romcom.

This felt unique! The book has major “How to lose a guy in 10 days” vibes, a talking pelican sidekick, and a lot of forced proximity.

However, while the story was fun and did what it promised, there were a bit too many tropes and extremely unbelievable scenarios shoved together.

Tropes: arranged marriage, forced proximity, mermaid x human, urban fantasy

Loved this! The relationship between the mmc and fmc was great especially considering how the fmc is also a mermaid. I was excited to read this and it definitely did not disappoint!

If The Little Mermaid, Maid in Manhattan and How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days were made into a book.

Our man Finn is a strait-laced guy trying to be elected for Mayor of New York, and needs the vote from the paranormal community. Our girl Iris is a book loving Mermaid Princess whose Mum wants to pair her off with Finn for a political marriage as she wants him to keep the ocean safe from land pollution.

The plot of this book was really different and I found that refreshing, and it was also absolutely hilarious, there was not a single page that went by that I didn’t giggle or highlight a quote. I loved how in this World we have fae, witches, vampires, merpeople (to name a few) and humans all living together. This brought so much magic to the book with so many fun characters. From a talking pelican bird who is looking for fame and celebrity, to a wedding planner demon and a bookshop owning Witch… Iris’ found family are all so brilliant, and for me are really the stars of the show.

I’m looking forward to reading more books by Jessica Gadziala.

Thank you to Avon Books UK for gifting me this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I've totally fallen head over fins for this book! Mermaids have been my mythical BFFs since I was a wee lass. I mean, come on—H2O, The Little Mermaid, Legend of the Deep Blue Sea, Siren—the enchanting list of aquatic adventures goes swimmingly on!

This book? Pure magic! It's not your run-of-the-mill mermaid tale. Imagine every mythical creature cozying up with humans on earth. Just wow! If this were real, I’d be throwing a party with vampires, faes, mermaids, and all the whimsical beings in between. It's a laugh riot wrapped in romance and bursts of sizzling emotions—just the ultimate page-turner!

I adore the dynamic duo of Iris and Finn. There's such a spark between them, it's electrifying and oh-so-heartfelt. My childhood dreams of mermaid fantasies have gracefully waltzed into adulthood with this book—it's a dream come true! This book was an absolute delight, wrapping up my reading list for 2025 with a bang! The finale was the cherry on top, delivering everything I craved and then some in a tale crafted like this.

I'd totally suggest this book to all the mermaid-loving gals dreaming of snagging their own Prince Charming, just like Iris did with Finn!

A really fun and cosy read. Five stars. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

"Well, if you're here for a romance book, note I have them shelved under: Emotional Propaganda. Right next to the Unverified Folklore shelf..."

The cover and title were irresistible! 💗 I admired the energy and imagination of the storytelling which went all-in with creating a magical (but not remotely PG-certificate) universe, in which a mermaid ends up in an engagement-of-convenience with a New York mayoral candidate. It's a fun premise, with echoes of 'Splash' with Darryl Hannah and Disney's 'Little Mermaid'. 🧜‍♀️ I sometimes felt a bit overwhelmed getting to grips with the world-building, and that perhaps made it harder to get emotionally invested in the romance. There was a lot to like though - it's entertaining and effervescent, with a kind of 'George of the Jungle' chutzpah. I think 'Mermaid in Manhattan' would appeal to fans of Erin Sterling's The Ex-Hex.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I enjoyed a lot of this book, with the story being funny and lots of moments that made me smile. I think the idea was great, I enjoyed Iris discovering New York, making friends and learning to appreciate life on land, and I liked the diversity of paranormal species and the dash of politics in the mix. However I do feel like both Iris’ strategy to ruin the engagement and the politics angle could have been a bit more developed, as I found both too superficial - the book would have been funnier and it would have given more depth to the plot.

Iris Marivelle, a beautiful and enchanting mermaid princess finds herself in Manhattan supposedly to marry Finn Westrock who is in need of a bride to merely to further his political career. Coming from two different worlds, Iris and Finn have a lot to learn about each other, but the spark between them immediately begins to smoulder. Throw in a talking pelican, a cutthroat campaign manager, and a wedding planner who’s a lower demon and you’ve got a well written fun and at times laugh out loud read. The secondary characters shine throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review her work.

A smutty supernatural romance. This is a sweet easy to read romance. there is a fun group of characters in this book with a lot of spicy scenes for smut readers.

Summary in Brief

Princess Iris is a mermaid, and her mother is making her marry a human in Manhattan, Finn, in exchange for certain water pollution policies being pushed through once he is mayor. Iris makes sure that this Finn guy is so miserable with her that he will break off their engagement—only she doesn’t take into account actually falling for him.

Genre + Plot

Tropes: Cozy Fantasy Romance, Fish Out of Water, Arranged Marriage, Forced Proximity, One Bed, Dual POV, Insta Lust, Found Family, Miscommunication, Political Intrigue

This is the second book I’ve read by Gadziala, and I liked this one so much more! I was so excited about the premise. I love Fish Out of Water tropes, and this was literally that.

Iris is our FMC, a mermaid, who goes ashore to live with her fiancé, Finn, for a couple of months before their marriage and his mayoral election. She really does not want to do this. She loves the sea. I’ve found that when reading Arranged Marriage tropes with royalty, either the parties are resigned to their life as a political pawn or they fight tooth and nail. Iris fought tooth and nail. Although, as she was acclimating, she made some great friends who were fun to read about, especially Monty.

Finn is definitely on the “resigned to his fate” end of the spectrum when it comes to arranged marriages. He basically needs to appear less like a single white man running for mayor, lol. What I didn’t like—and what honestly never got resolved—was that the only reason Iris is marrying him is because he promised his mom that he would push through a water pollution policy… but that was already part of his mayoral campaign and not anything new. So, like… what are they actually getting out of it? Maybe everyone just knew what was going on, didn’t care, and still agreed to the marriage, but it felt odd and unresolved.

Iris and Finn are instantly attracted to each other. I mean, Iris is a mermaid, so she is drop-dead gorgeous. And Finn is the picture-perfect guy… on the surface. Iris quickly realizes that a lot of who Finn is feels fake and polished for the cameras and press, whereas she is authentically herself. I did wish Finn did more to help Iris acclimate to the surface world. These two had *so much* miscommunication. Then they’d be like, “I don’t know that much about him/her.” Like… how about you two sit down and talk to each other if that’s an issue?

I did not like Henry. He is Finn’s campaign manager and longtime friend. I was looking hard to see that friendship and just could not find it. In my eyes, Henry was the bad guy in this book, and I was disappointed when he was still friends with Finn at the end. He was so rude to Iris and wanted to change everything about her. In the beginning, Finn let him steamroll all over him, though he did get better by the end.

I will say the sexual tension and spice in this book were on point. However, just like Gadziala’s last book, *My Big Fat Vampire Wedding*, they only had sex in public spaces. I’m really racking my brain trying to remember if they were ever intimate in private, but they really weren’t. And there were *maaaany* spicy scenes in this book. So basically, I was stressed during all of them because I thought they were for sure going to get caught.

The ending was… all right. There was a dramatic breakup scene that Henry was, of course, responsible for. Then Finn makes a huge apology, and they live happily ever after. But I don’t know—I just felt okay at the end, not super happy or excited about how it turned out. I get that Iris was okay giving up her life under the sea, but it still felt like she missed it so much, and there wasn’t much resolution for that either. These two really need to learn about compromise.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a cozy mermaid fantasy with some political elements, an arranged marriage, a dash of groveling, and quite a bit of miscommunication.